Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.0

Jack's Back Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman January 27, 2016

Note: A couple of unavoidable plot points are discussed below and may constitute "spoilers" for some. Those sensitive to this are encouraged to skip down to the technical aspects of the review, below.

Time After Time famously posited science fiction writer H.G. Wells (Malcolm McDowell) chasing Jack the Ripper (David Warner) into the 20th century when Wells’ supposed invention of a time machine allows the infamous killer to escape into the future. There’s no science fiction angle at play in Jack’s Back, but in a way this 1988 feature plays on the same general premise of Jack the Ripper, or at least a Jack the Ripper wannabe, wreaking havoc in “contemporary” times, in this case the centennial of the original Jack’s murderous spree. Featuring a relatively early performance by James Spader in a dual role as twins, Jack’s Back was the first writing and directing credit of one Rowdy Herrington, who in a rather self effacing commentary traces his long apprenticeship in the sometimes crowded hallways of Hollywood, years of being an acolyte crew member on such films as Repo Man and A Nightmare on Elm Street. Jack’s Back plies fairly traditional mystery and/or thriller territory, and while never overly innovative, it provides a nice showcase for Spader and manages to work up at least a couple of moments of genuine suspense. Taking a perhaps odd page out of the source material that also provided the spark for Cheech & Chong's The Corsican Brothers Jack’s Back conceit involves the almost telepathic connection between twins. When the first sibling played by Spader, an up and coming doctor named John Wesford, is found dead from an apparent suicide after police think he may be the perpetrator attempting to “recreate” Jack the Ripper’s horrific murders in a kind of “celebratory” revel 100 years after the original crimes, John’s brother Rick (also played by Spader) shows up to try to sort things out, feeling intuitively that the police have pegged the wrong suspect and that something more nefarious is at play.

Jack’s Back begins with a rather stylish pre-credits and then credits sequence, as a badly wounded “working girl” meets her fate at the hands of an unseen assailant. A Polaroid photograph (remember those?) then slowly develops under the credits, as viewers get a look at the gruesome after effects of the murder. A psychiatrist named Dr. Carlos Battera (Robert Picardo) opines about the kind of nut who would attempt to recreate Jack the Ripper’s infamous murders, and the film is seemingly off and running.

Nice guy doctor in training John Wesford is introduced, and for a while at least it seems that there’s no clear connection between him and the horrifying murder which started the film. When John hobnobs with cute co-worker Chris Moscari (Cynthia Gibb), joking about helping her to find a man, things start to get a little more psychologically acute. When another co-worker, a creepy giant named Jack (Rex Ryon), seems overly interested in Chris, things really start to become more tense. Perhaps surprisingly, Chris does not end up on the wrong end of a paring knife (at least not then, anyway), and when John stumbles across a second horrifying crime scene, the Ripper angle and John’s involvement are finally tethered together. In one of the film’s truly surprising developments, however, John is viciously killed himself by an assailant who is clearly seen and therefore “identified” as the Jack the Ripper pretender.

When John’s relatively scuzzier brother Rick shows up to sort things out, he’s hypnotized by Dr. Battera, which is the first time the “telepathic” link between twins is overtly depicted. That trip into the subconscious (or perhaps Collective Unconscious) convinces Rick that his brother has been unfairly accused, and soon Chris is a believer as well. The film traffics in pretty standard thriller tropes, including POV shots of the still unidentified bad guy stalking various unaware females (who are of course in the process of undressing). While nothing ever strays too far from well worn genre ruts, there are a couple of interesting developments, including a faux ending which then catapults the film into a needlessly hyperbolic coda.

Jack's Back Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Jack's Black is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Scream Factory, an imprint of Shout! Factory, with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. The back cover of this release touts this release as offering a "new high definition transfer from the original negative" and there's a "restored by Pinewood" banner which also adorns the release. Those aspects may raise expectations to levels that can't be totally supported by the film's low budget, lo-fi look, for while whatever restorative techniques were applied have delivered a virtually damage free viewing experience, nothing can really overcome an inherent softness and lack of detail that infuses large swaths of the film. Fine detail is marginally better in some close-ups, where things like the ribbed backings of various medical volumes can be made out quite clearly (see screenshot 13). There's an appealingly organic look to this presentation, with no signs of undue digital sharpening or noise reduction having been applied, but the grain field is a bit inconsistent in resolution and occasionally encounters compression problems as can be seen in some of the screenshots accompanying this review. Colors are generally accurate looking, if just slightly pallid at times. With an understanding that this film probably never looked great (I frankly never saw it in a theater), this is a solid looking transfer with no major issues.

Jack's Back Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Jack's Black features a problem free DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mono track which more than capably supports the film's dialogue and occasional use of source cues. There's not the typically florid dynamic range that's often on display in traditional slasher films, and so the soundtrack may come off to some listeners as unremarkable, but there are no issues with distortion, dropouts or other damage.

Jack's Back Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer (1080p; 00:57)


• The Making of Jack's Back (1080p; 23:51) contains some enjoyable interviews with various cast and crew members.


• Commentary with Writer/Director Rowdy Herrington is generally quite enjoyable and informative, with Herrington talking about his years in Hollywood prior to getting this gig and also elements like casting Spader, who was evidently not the producers' first choice for the role.

Jack's Back Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Good performances help elevate Jack's Back past some of its more ludicrous plot machinations, but the film is a bit listless overall and depends on a few too many convenient devices to get to its endgame. That very endgame is overly forced and convoluted, but the bulk of the film is reasonably suspenseful and offers James Spader a chance to portray two rather different siblings. Technical merits are generally strong and the minimal supplements are enjoyable. Recommended.